HALF A STORY: Shinigami Life
by inomaru
Summary: updated: march 22! The story focuses on the different faces of life for our Bleach characters, thus proving all the difference lives in the world inhabited by people who are themselves and not others.
1. Chapter 1: Just HIM

So, I just don't know a thing about writing stuffs like this...yet, I might just be thankful...**R&R** please...

DISCLAIMER: I don't own BLEACH characters...nor the plot...and the story...

**CHAPTER 1: Just HIM...**

The twilight's air is quite chilly to get a hold of. The wind gusted over the trees, making the leaves sway and follow the rather beautiful breeze. And yet, the scene was perfect. Very perfect indeed. But it might also be dangerous. Dangerous, because it wasn't really soothing at all.

Nothing could destroy this moment. This moment filled with sorrows and pain. That pain she never thought would get worse. That pain she never knew she was carrying all along. That pain that was unexpected. That pain...that should remain the way it is...

She sat on the bench under the old oak tree, smelling its woody scent.

"How pretty." She murmured.

"I don't think it's pretty at all."

She turned her head around to see him looking, sitting beside her.

The stranger was of a familiar face. And yet, she might've just forgotten him. His quite silvery hair...his rather weird and spooky smile...his fingers that are a bit bony at the tip...his eyes that rarely open... all of these...

Her lips parted into a sad and painful smile.

"Gin..." She tried to touch him...but it was no use.

"...Ichimaru." His light figure dissolved along the wind.

She was nearly crying, but she managed to keep it inside. _It's always better not to show anything rather than hurt myself_... Suddenly, tears were already falling down her cheeks. Tears that haven't left since the day he betrayed Seireitei...and her.

"Why is life like this? Why...why???" She wept under the moonlight. "Why does this got to happen...to me...?"

"Rangiku-san???"

"Kira???"

"Rangiku-san...Matsumoto...what are you doing here???"

"I just don't know..."

"Is it about your friend???"

"I've got too many friends...be more specific."

"Is it about...h-him?" Kira's voice suddenly changed.

"N-no. No, of course." She stood up and looked away from him.

"But, Matsumoto-san...why are you crying?"

"Th-this??? Oh...it's nothing...nothing really...just remembered something..."

"One thing for sure."

"This is NOTHING Kira...I've just remembered about my clothes I left in the refrigerator..."

"Well..." He walked up to her, he's head bent low. "That...I hope it won't be a loss."

"It is...for me...b-but--"

"Clothes...like those of m-my taicho...should've been thrown away."

Matsumoto laughed. "You're taicho, Kira...I would like to kill him."

"Me too...but it's not gonna help us an longer.."

"Oh yes it will!" She insisted. "With him gone...it's just like all the memories...all of those he'd done..." Her voice was audible yet trembling. She felt her hands shake at the thought.

"Matsumoto-san..." He gazed up at the sky. "You don't mean that do you?"

She paused for a moment. Then, she took in a deep breathe.

Tears fell on the fresh-cut grass below her. She remember everything now. Everything. Every single memory came back to life and she knew, once more, that it wasn't like fainting on the road and be fed by a young kid that can't even be serious or grab the wrist of the person that just loves running away...but this was perhaps, the most disastrous feeling she just can't let go of.

"M-maybe." Matsumoto said out loud.

Both of them looked at each other, then they watched the stars twinkle like diamonds stuck up in that dark sky. Kira, recognizing the situation, left her without a sound. She felt that warm gentle breeze but didn't feel Kira leaving her. It was like his touch.

_I just can't..._

There you go...I just hope you guys would be satisfied...might not be able to finish the next chapter until next week coz I got a lot of things to do...

_inomaru_


	2. Chapter 2: Lame Faith

As far as u guys WILL see, this chap would be like once Unohana's squad reached Aizen's place...but it's still fanfic...so it'd **NOT** turn out that good...

**DISCLAIMER**: i do NOT own Bleach characters or whatever thing related to them that i'd put in this story...

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**CHAPTER 2: Lame Faith**

_Like the old times..._ Soifon thought.

_It's all about being loyal and firm. Everything is just some bit of business...business that no one would actually care about...business that only sticking to the rules and following orders can save you...well, whatever...I don't believe that anyone from Kurosaki Ichigo's group is good enough to be responsible for what happened. Now, the news are already spreading all throughout Seireitei. Unohana...that Unohana...they're lucky to have her right now...but the back-ups..._

She sat on her sofa, her head bent low as if guilty of a crime she hasn't actually committed. But she knew everything all along. Better, to the least of what she currently knows. She can't let go of the events occurring in Aizen's place. She definitely knows that a group full of "forever fighting" people would be the best way to save the whole bunch of humans still struggling to save their traitor for a friend. It was the usual problem when you don't know the enemy well and if you aren't that skilled yet. But Ichigo would definitely be able to defeat her for his strange abilities is the only living reason for him to defeat anyone who tries to hurt him or his friends...especially Rukia, Sado, Orihime, and even that freak Ishida...and some more people she can't even remember.

The 2nd Division would be good enough to go...but there still aren't any signs for them to be able to go...she doesn't know a thing...and that's what makes her more confused than what she was before the news of Sado's failure.

"Like nobody would actually care about it..."

Yamamoto walked past her, his beard almost polishing the floor, talking to a man with a wolf-like face.

"Kaname Tousen...wouldn't care about anything right now." The other said.

Soifon bent her head a little more as they stopped right in front of her and faced each other.

Yamamoto hit the stone floor with his cane and it gave a rather willow effect. "Kaname still doesn't understand what the word 'justice' means...and that's because Aizen managed to gain his trust."

"Tousen never became a friend of Aizen!!!!"

"You might actually say that as 'Tousen never became a _fiend _of Aizen'."

Komamura seemed to have completely lost his temper because he roared a bit softly, turned to his heel and left his conversationist. His rather gray-blue face became quite pale that Soifon have noticed it even if she wasn't looking at him.

"Hmmmmm..." Yamamoto stood straight then left for the door.

So she was left all alone again.

"Since when did Komamura ever walked out from his conversations with Yamamoto???" She murmured out loud.

_Hmphnfk! Komamura, being disrespectful...but if he said foul words in front of Yamamoto, it would've gone bad_.

She stood up, and brushed away the leaves of the oak tree from her shoulders, still and gentle. Looking up, she saw something that caught her eye. It was sparkling and it shimmered like a golden piece of glitter under the bright rays of the sun. Putting a finger on top of her brows in salute form, she finally understood what it really was. It wasn't the sun that caused to be like that, but the golden leaf was luminous itself. Under the shade of the oak, it flew down gently, carried by the breeze to the cold stone floor, as if a feather falling from the sky, brought by the Northern winds. And it landed without a sound. The effect of its long lost intimacy and lack of faith that it could have traveled farther from where it was first created. Soifon walked to it and knelt right beside it.

"We meet, little golden leaf..." she whispered to it, calmly.

Around her, the flowers gracefully danced to the wind, torn by different means. Either be pulled off by a lover or a kid that can barely wait to smell its freshness...or wither itself...just like the strange leaf that fell from the old oak. It really wasn't auburn or golden brown...it was shimmering gold like the sun in the afternoon sky. And that...

...is what makes it special.

Maybe that's the reason that she was brought by Yoruichi Shihon to Seireitei. Because she wasn't just special, but because she'd be the only one in her whole family who'd be able to finish dangerous missions...and that she was better than her brothers...much better that she's survive unlike them...much better because she definitely knows how to do things on an empty basis.

But she was torn between grief and fury on the loss of her brothers. They were her brothers after all...and they protected her the best way they can, no matter how foolish they were. And they'll always be a part of her. If it weren't for them, she wouldn't be who she is now...she wouldn't have learned how to become one of the strongest shinigamis...and reach her current status in Seireitei.

But now, trying to stay in the human world was a lot more of trouble than they expected. The arrancars have captured the Orihime girl and they gained her trust, one of the scariest things that could ever happen in Soul Society, especially that Aizen's found alive and dangerous...and they'd all die if they don't get her back immediately...but Aizen won't just give her in that easily, it'd be..._**WAR**_.

She stared at the leaf a bit more, then, decided to take it with her. Breathing in more proudly than she ever did. Proud to meet the golden leaf, yet humble for its fortune.

_I never thought that things really don't go their way...that even a precious yet small thing like this can reach high ropes and see the world end to end. But, unable to look any further, it just imagined the things it would've seen if it was able to. And that's because it is contented with what it's got... _Soifon thought over and over again.

Finally, she humbled herself to the highest point...her chin down yet straight.

_Something I've never had since their deaths..._

She smirked and ambled to the door, but before that she blurted out the words disturbing her.

"Hopeless...restless...cunning...brave...smart...yet...

Faithless..."

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there it is...just thought of something creative...coz I prefer novel-like creations...

_inomaru_


	3. Chapter 3: The Fool

Sorry!

Sorry to those who read this...it unfortunately takes me a heck lot of time just to finish one chapter no matter how short it is...but as always, the characters changes a bit with their ways of thinking/speech/grammar/personality in here...and that's because...well, whatever...

**disclaimer**: i do **not** own Bleach characters or whatever thing related to them...note that always in whatever fanfic...

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**CHAPTER 3: The Fool**

"Aha!" The man with a flowery haori laughed out loud. He seemed pretty comfortable trying to look very manly in front of the lady with glasses and hair pinned at the back of her head at such a mistress' style.

"Now what shall dear Shunsui say to his precious little fukutaicho?"

The fukutaicho just grunted then said in her calm yet strict voice, "There's no such thing as a precious little fukutaicho...you don't have a 'little' taicho."

"Hah! The one talking is as beautiful as the pleasant yet mourning winter breeze---"

**PAK**.

"Nanao-chan!" He said rubbing the back of his neck which was already turning red because of the damage inflicted by Nanao.

"Shut up! Nanao-chan's busy, taicho."

The white-haired captain looked at the 8th Division's captain and gave him a rather plain look. Though, it scared off the 8th Division captain. "Nanao Ise, please don't listen to whatever thing your captain say. I don't want you to transform into some kind of fool behind glasses."

"Yes, Ukitake-taicho."

"Oh c'mon Joushiro! As far as I believe, you too were some sort of woman-lover your days. There's no point taking my Nanao-chan away from me. You've already got Unohana Retsu!" He whimpered pathetically, a whiff of want in the air surrounding him.

"Unohana..." Ukitake whispered lightly.

_Retsu...san..._ He thought, his head bowed and his hands quite trembling at the sound of the name. He tightened his grip on the paperwork he was already holding. But he smiled...smiled at the thought that reached his head. _With that Kurosaki Ichigo, she'll do fine. Isane won't allow her captain to die or lose consciousness either. But being the head of the medical squad, there's no possibility like that that could happen. I'm looking forward of having you return here._

"Oi, Ukitake!" Kyouraku was gloating. He had been snickering since that weird reaction of Ukitake had started. It was a funny scene after all. "First time you've been like that since they left eh? Don't you worry. I might actually invite you to come with me to the local bars in town. Sake's my choice. In Rukongai if you want...there's a special bar there that sells a heck lot of different kinds of drinks. Even something called alcogas or was it biogas?? But the heck! Let's not get overdosed. I don't want my Nanao-chan to scold me. She might just torture me again." He gave a sly smile at Nanao Ise. Nanao struck him by a paper fan at the back of his head again, this time, his straw hat fell on the dusty earth.

And so...

The fukutaicho stared at him with her tempting dark eyes.

The taicho seemed to hesitate.

The fukutaicho felt weary with her taicho's boring face.

The taicho felt very dull with his fukutaicho's unresponsive appearance.

The fukutaicho got bored.

But the taicho got interested.

Then the fukutaicho giggled insincerely.

_It wasn't a natural laugh_. That made Ukitake feel uncomfortable. Like I thought... being with Shunsui Kyouraku and Nanao Ise at the same time would make me feel the creeps. The two of them makes a very unpleasant atmosphere when they're with other captains...as far as I've heard.

"Enough with the glaring taicho." She finally said, her eyes nearly filled with tears of laughter.

"Wow."

"I never thought you'd laugh that way, my precious, angelic, beautiful, forever-pleasing, lovely fukutaicho!! That laugh of yours was so charming!! Very celestial indeed!!" He tried to hug her but before he got any closer near her, he got struck by some sort of electrical charge through the sky.

Ukitake-taicho smiled. "Oh..I see...so the weather forecasting was true. It IS gonna be stormy today. I shall tell Kisuke about his marvelous machine. I wonder how he made it."

He gave one last glimpse at the fallen warrior then left.

_What shall I do to transform my captain into something more bearable?_ Nanao thought. _My taicho isn't that kind of a person that you can be easily moved, because he's the one that can move you easily. I don't have much choice either. If I don't try to understand what's behind those womanizer's eyes, I won't be able to move him in any way. Ukitake-taicho seem to be quite problematic these days...since Unohana Retsu left. I wonder what his problem is. Naturally, I believe he's got to read more books in one of the local libraries of Rukongai. It won't be much of a problem. If he don't want to, I'll just lend him some of my books. Anyway, I've got to get my taicho back to his office. He'll get a bit too insane if I just leave him alone here. And it would be worse if he finds out that he's outside his office. I just need...or have to...like the usual...before I became his vice captain..._

As she was bringing him back into his office—or room, Nanao saw Rangiku Matsumoto walking all alone in the corridors. Her face was pale, and she looked as if she didn't have a good sleep. Her eyelids were already droopy and eyebugs ran along the base of her eyes. Her head was bent low, as if sleepwalking, but her eyes were still wide awake. Nanao left before Matsumoto had the chance to approach her.

Once she arrived in the smelly, pathetic room of her captain, she laid him on his desk, leaving the room and slowly closing the door.

"N-N-Nanao...?" He stirred.

She paused, hearing his voice at the other side of the door. 

"N-Nanao."

She made up her mind and returned.

"Shunsui..." She whispered softly, as if talking to a kid who's had a dozen major rules broken. He listened, bending down on his desk like some sort of creepy live mummy or zombie looking down at his crate or bed.

"Please stay...even for a while." He gulped.

Nanao Ise held back more surprised than what she was expecting. She knew her captain was unconscious and had his consciousness back, but she didn't expect him to actually call her for some major reason. Whatever it was. He never called her that way. He never did. It was like success and joy...and sadness. She has already gotten accustomed with him calling her with any term from the womanizer's dictionary.

So, she nodded her head and sat on one of his comfy chairs. It was quite bouncy and she enjoyed it. But the fact that she stayed there just for her captain's request flashed back in her mind. She promised that she would follow whatever her taicho says...those that strictly follows the good and not the bad. She didn't want him to use her. Just like the way Aizen used Hinamori to keep his plans secret until time has come for them to be acted out. I don't want that to happen...

A few minutes passed since her captain requested for her to stay, and not one of them even tried to start a conversation. Until...

"I fear thee..." He began. "Please tell me what you think of me."

"What?" Nanao murmured.

"Please..."

She laid back on the chair, her face facing Shunsui, respectively. "I think you're a very flamboyant captain and a leader capable of handling situations in proper order...but you being a womanizer is in fact some sort of funkiness...and comfort...in a way I do not exactly know—"

"Being a person who chases after women in different ways...it's not fun but comfort that I want. My mother...hah! She wasn't that pretty but you might say so. Yet, he remained noble all those times he didn't thought he actually liked her. I never thought it went on like that. But you might say...I am still a noble. And I will always be."

"Taicho—"

"I'm not the fool. The fool is you, Nanao. Right now, you are proving it. You can't say anything directly and that's because you cannot understand the circumstances well enough. You try to let go of the words indirectly and that's because you're afraid to hurt my feelings. But whatever you say, you're still my Nanao-chan."

"Shunsui..." She bent her head and looked out at the window.

"You can't call me a stranger, because I'm no danger to you than before. They'll change...because it's not like looking at me but like these thought were once that way. They'll grow and change soon. One day, you'll notice that you don't feel that way for me..." 

_If you'd just look at me for more than a dozen times, you'll see._ Kyouraku thought.

_All these thoughts will leave you behind..._

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Did I just make some sort of romance or icky stuff here?LOL...

I might update this in two days..

_inomaru_


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